Device fob the automatic clearing



March 24, 1936. A. KOTTMANN 2,034,724

DEVICE FOR THE AUTOMATIC CLEARING OF THE REGISTERS OF COMPUTING MACHINES Filed July 16, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 24, 1936.

-A. KOTTMANN 2,034,724

DEVICE FOR THE AUTOMATIC CLEARING OF THE REGISTERS OF COKPU'I'ING HACHINES Filed July 18, 1931 Fg f.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l NVENTD F\: A Koti'manh ATI'DRNEY.

Patented Mar. 24, 1936 DEVICE FOR. THE A MATIC GLEABING OF THE REGISTERS OF COLIPUTING MA- -CHINES August Kottmh nn, to Rheinische Sommerda, Germany, assignor Metallwaarenund Masc hinen- Fabrik Sommerda Aktiengesells'chaft, Sommerda, Germany, a corporation of Germany Application July 16, 1931, Serial InGermany July 29, 1930 .8Claims.

device on completely computing machines The invention relates to a automatic multiplying which is used when a relatively large number of multiplications are to be carried out with the machine in uninterrupted succession. The device, in accordance with the invention, when put into action, automatically sets the registers of the computing machine to zero before beginning each multiplication. Thereby on the one hand the operator of the machine upon multiplying is relieved of the tedious setting to zero each time, and above allthings the setting to zero of the registers cannot be inadvertently omitted, as long as the automatic zero setting device is in action;

The device in accordance with the invention is to be used preferably in combination with calculating machines having an automatic multiplying device as described in French Patent No. 720,471, and a device for automatically returning the carriage as described in French Patent No. 721,550, wherein, aside from the main drive shaft of the computing machine, theclearing. devices of the registers are also motor-driven, and consists of a mechanism which upon depressing the multiplication key first clutches the clearing device with the drive motor, but as soon as the clearing gears-have been given the motion requisite for clearing the registers, interrupts the transmission of motion from the motor to the clearing gears and reconnects to the main drive of the computing machine.

The switching of the motion transmission from one shaft to the other can be accomplished 35 either by a change (clutch or by a difierential driven by the motor. whereby the shafts moving the clearing shaft and the main shaft can be selectively latched. Preferably, clutch devices are arranged between the clearing devices of the 40 registers and the. gears which move them, which make it possible to disconnect all or part of the clearing devices, so that in spite of movement of the clearing gears, in caseof necessity, the clearing of the registers may be omitted.

45 An exemplary embodiment of the invehtion is ustrated in the drawings in combination with an electrically driven computing machine, in which the clearing gear is also motor -driven.

Flgurel is a partly sectional :1 m planviewshowlngtheelectrlcaldriveof computing machine and the device in accordance with the invention,

' Figure 2 shows parts of the register mechanism and the clearing means, likewise in plan,

Figure 3 shows the motor key in side elevation, 5

Figure 4 shows the register and parts of the clearing means in front elevation,

Figure 5 is a plan view of the same, and

Figure 6 is a view of a three-element clutch and cooperating elements. 10

After the desired numerical values have been set into the machine, the motor key I is depressed, which moves the controlling bar 4 by means of the shaft 2 and the intermediate lever 3. The controlling car i closes the electric circuit to the motor 'l' by means of the contact device 5, and moves the clutch 5 (see German Patent 544,643, Figs. 5 and 6) into engagement so that the motor I willdrive the bell-shaped housing 31 by means of the shaft 33, worm gear 20 drive 34, shaft 35, clutch 5, and shaft 36. The

housing 31 carries with it the rotating bevel .gears 38 of the differential drive mechanism.

The bevel gears 38 mesh on one side with the bevel wheel l2, which is securely mounted to rotatethe shaft 23, and on the other side the bevel gears 38 mesh with a bevel wheel 39, which, together with the gear wheel Ii and the latch disc ll, forms a hollow shaft 32. The shaft 23 drives the main drive shaft ll (Fig. 1) of the computing machine by means of the gear wheels 24 and 25, and the bevel gears 26 and 21. The hollow shaft 32 rotates the cam disc I 1 (Figs. 1 and 4) by means of gear wheels I! and It.

.On the intermediate lever 8, which is rotatable 35 about a rod 8a fixed in the machine frame, there is pivoted on a pin 9b a pawl 9 held by a spring 90 against a stop pin 9a. The pawl 9 is thus rotatable in this action. The extension la of the key lever of the motor key I, when the key is depressed, by means of the pawl 9 and the intermediate lever 8 moves the latch slide I0, which cooperates with the .latch disc ll upon the shaft 2: and the latch disc ll of-the hollowshaft 32 of the diiferential l2,drlven by the motor. 7

By operating the motor key I the latch slide II is so shifted that its projecting edge Ila enters lntoaradialslotofthelatchdiscllandtheso ockwise about the pin 8b and can yield v 1 1,846,207 (Figs. 6, 7 and 8) are thuslatched,

while on the contrary the latch disc I4 together with the gear wheel I5 are freed and are set into rotation by the differential I2. The gearwheel.

I5 meshes with the gear wheel I6 which is rigidly connected with the cam disc II. Upon the edge of the cam disc I1 runs the roller I8 of the angle bail I9 which is underspring tension. Upon the first half revolution the cam disc I'I shifts the end I9a of the angle bail I9, in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, to the right and thereby presses theslide 20 (Fig. 5), secured to the angle bail, against the clearing device 2I, takes the latter along in the motion to the right and in this manner provides the clearing of the results in the registers, because through the moving of the clearing means 2I to the right, rack bars 22 in known manner set the number rolls 28 to zero, are carried along. A resetting mechanism of this character is described andshown in U. S. Patent No. 1,797,699, dated March 24, 1931. 1

In the register carriage 42 illustrated in the drawings two registers are provided, which in general are both cleared together. The possibility exists, however, by shifting the slide 20 manually, of selectively clearing only one of the two or even to completely eliminate the automatic clearing. The slide 20 (Figs. 1, 4 and 5) is so connected with the angle bail by means of a pin and slot arrangement and M (Fig. 5) that the slide is -movable horizontally. In Fig. 5 the slide 20 is so arranged that the clearing levers 2I will not a be carried therewith by .the bail I9. If the slide 20 is moved toward the left, referring to Fig. 1, so that the projecting portion 200. of the slide 20 will meet the lower end 2la of the right hand lever. 2| of Fig. 5, then the projection 20b will also contact with the lower end 2Ib of the lefthand lever 2| of said figure. If the slide 20 is moved toward the left somewhat further so that the recessed portion 200 lies in the plane of oscillation of the bail I9 containing the lower end 2 la only the lever 2| lying toward the left.will be carried along therewith. Notches are provided in the slide 20 to pass the clearing levers 2I freely upon moving through the angle bail I9, without causing the latter to be carried along by the slide; and the clearing of the results therefore is also omitted.

If the clearing of the registers has been accomplished and the cam disc I'I, gear wheel I5 and gear wheel I5 approach the. completion of the first revolution, a bent portion Ila, provided upon the locking disc I4, will strike against the projection IIIc of the locking slide I0 and will shift the looking slide III in such manner that the edge Illa of the locking slide III is retracted from the radial slot of the locking disc II, and the edge Illb of the slide enters the radial slot of the locking disc I4. The locking disc I0 and together therewith the entire motion transmitting elements for the clearing device are therefore locked, but in place thereof the locking member II becomes freed so that now the rotations produced by the motor are transmitted through the differential, the shaft 23, gear wheels 24, 25, and bevel gears 28, 27, to the main drive shaft I3, so that after completion of the clearing the calculating operation is carried out in known manner. The an le bail I9 is pushed back into its initial position by the clearing levers 2I which are underthe tension of spring ll.

Summarizing:

Upon depressing the motor key I the motor 1 and the clutch 5 are engaged and simultaneously the main drive shaft I3 is latched, while on the contrary the shaft I5 driving the clearing elements is freed for the extent of one revolution.

After the clearing has been accomplished the clearing elements automatically become latched and automatically permit the transmission of motion from the motor to the main drive shaft I3.

In the arrangement according to Fig. 6 an alternative clutch I2 is used instead of the differential. The parts III, II, I2, I4, I5, 23, 32 of Fig. 1 correspond to the parts I0 II, l2, I4 I5,

I6, 23 and 32' of Fig. 6. 'The shaft.'32' is a hollow shaft which is mounted freely rotatable upon the shaft which is moved by the driving motor.

The shaft 23' moves the main drive means of the calculating machine, the hollow shaft 32 drives the clearing means.

On depressing the multiplication key I the slide I0 is brought into the position illustrated in Fig.

6. The projection Illb' then shifts the central element I2 of the three element coupling mounted slidably but non-rotatably upon the shaft 86 driven by the motor, whereby it participates" in the rotation of said shaft 36'. The center element I2 is thus shifted into engagement with the second clutch element 32a connected to the shaft 32,

whereby the shaft 32' and the gears I5, I6 and the eccentric I1, Fig.4, are driven.

Upon depression of the multiplication key and shifting of the latching member ID, the edge Ina of the latching member latches the shaft 23' along with the locking disc .I I; After a rotation of the shaft 32' the'ramp I4a' of the latching disc I4 engages the edge I00 of the slide I0 and shifts the latter to the left, Fig. 6, whereby the center element I2 of the clutch engages" the third clutch element 23a on the shaft 23'. Simultaneously the edge Illa 1 releases the latching disc II and the shaft 23, while the edge IIlb' enters a radial slot I4a of the latching disc I4 and thereby latches the said disc I4 and the shaft 32'. The shaft 23' then operates the main drive shaft of the calculating machine.

I claim as my invention:-

1. A computing machine comprising a completely automatic multiplying device; a motor; a main drive shaft for the computing mechanism; registers; a multiplication key controlling connection of the multiplying device to the registers; clearing mechanism for said registers comprising a drive shaft; transmission means alternatively effective to operate the main drive shaft and the clearing drive shaft by the motor; and means actuated by the multiplication key for controlling the transmission means to render said means effective to drive the clearing shaft, and means coming automatically into operation upon completed clearing of the registers to render said transmission means inoperative upon the clearing shaft and effective to drive the main drive shaft. 2. A computing machine comprising a completely automatic multiplying device; a motor; a main drive shaft for the computing mechanism; registers; a multiplication key controlling connection of the multiplying device to the registers; clearing mechanism for said registers comprising a drive shaft; a differential gear alternatively effective to operate the main drive shaft and the clearing drive shaft by the motor; andlatching means actuated by the multiplication key for con-.

registers to render the differential gear inoperative upon the clearing shaft and conditioned to drive the main'drive shaft.

3. A computing machine comprising a completely automatic multiplying device; a motor; a main drive shaft for the computing mechanism; registers; a. multiplication key controlling connection of the multiplying device to the registers; clearing mechanism for said registers comprising a drive shaft; a three element clutch comprising a. central element driven by the motor and engageable alternatively with a second element connected to the clearing shaft and with a third element connected to the main drive shaft; means actuated by the multiplication key for shifting the central clutch element into engagement with the second clutch element and out of engagement with the third element; and means operative upon completed clearing of the registers to shift the central clutch element out of engagement with the second element and into engagement with the third element.

4. A computing machine comprising a-motor, a main drive shaft; registers; clearing mechanism for the registers; a multiplication key; means operated by said key for first applying the motor drive to the clearing mechanism; and means automatically effective on clearance of the registers to shift the motor drive from the clearing mechanism to the main drive shaft.

5. A computing machine comprising a motor; a main drive shaft; registers; clearing mechanism for the registers; a multiplication key; a differential gear connected with the motor, the main drive shaft, and the clearingmechanism; means for latching the drive connection of the differential gear with the main drive shaft and clearing mechanism; means operated by the multiplication key for unlatching the drive of the clearing mechanism for drive by the motor while latching that of the main drive shaft; and means for shifting the latching means at the end of a clearance of the registers to unlatch the drive of the main drive shaft for drive by the motor while latching that of the clearing mechanism.

6. A machine according to claim 8 in which the motor driven shaft is connected to the zeroizing shaft and the calculating mechanism shaft through differential gearing having members cooperating with the two transfer devices.

7. A machine according to claim 8 in which the motor driven shaft operates the zeroizing and the calculating mechanism shafts in alternation through a double coupling having an intermediate element movable between two end elements to engage either of these shafts with the motor driven shaft while disengaging the other one therefrom.

8. An automatic multiplying machine comprising a register, zeroizing means for the register, a shaft for driving the zeroizing means, a shaft for driving the calculating mechanism of the machine, a motor driven shaft, a motor key, connections actuated by the motor driven shaft and capable of transmitting motion selectively to either one alone of said zeroizing and calculating shafts, control means for said connections movable between a first position in which the motor driven shaft 'drives the zeroizing shaft to a second position in which the motor driven shaft drives the calculating shaft, means actuated by the motor key for bringing the control means from the second into the first position, and means actuated by the zeroizing shaft after it has driven the zeroizing means through a complete zeroizing operation for returning the control means to the second position.

AUGUST KO'I'I'MANN. 

